A Voyage Through Air by Peter F. Hamilton

Author:Peter F. Hamilton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

‘Oh!’ the captain exclaimed. ‘It might be more than a clue. If it’s accurate . . . Let’s see. That’s definitely the Wingedwitch constellation, and I think that’s The Axe, though it’s an odd alignment.

Humm. Easy enough if that’s truly the star pattern you can see from your destination and you know your navigation.’ She lifted the glass case off the biggest orocompass in the study, a fine spherical apparatus of brass bands, each with precise measurements engraved beside complex astronomical markings. Its interior was packed with a globular clockwork mechanism. There were graduated dials set on the axis shaft protruding from the top of the shell of bands, which the captain turned like a safecracker, constantly referring to the new pattern of stars in the crest.

Taggie wanted to yell at her to hurry up. Didn’t she understand they were close to finding out where the gate was? Didn’t she understand the importance?

The captain began turning the bands around the outside, adjusting the small pearl arrow-shaped regulators that slid along each one. Finally she depressed a key on the very top.

All the cogwheels at the heart of the device began to whirr and buzz, regulator levers rocked about. The bands started to click round. Tiny wire indicator-hands slid along the measurement notches of the three largest bands.

Captain Rebecca let the orocompass run, and went over to the bookshelves. Her hand went along a shelf of large leather tomes.

‘Here we go,’ she said in satisfaction, and pulled one out.

‘What’s that?’ Lantic asked.

‘A star almanac.’

Taggie was practically hopping from one foot to the other she was so excited. When she glanced round her friends she could see how eager they were. The tension was awful.

The captain slapped the almanac down on the desk and turned just as the orocompass mechanism finished its run. She bent over to read the numbers on the bands where various indicators had stopped, and ran her fingers down the columns, finding a number. ‘Aye, this is it.’ Her finger ran along the line.

Taggie was watching her face, so she saw the shock register. The captain’s features were suddenly blank as the colour left her; even her coiling hair held still. ‘Thundering Heavens,’ she whispered.

‘What is it?’ Dad and Lord Colgath asked simultaneously.

‘They were insane,’ a badly frightened Captain Rebecca said. ‘Rothgarnal must have pushed them into madness to agree to this.’

‘Where was Mirlyn’s Gate taken?’ Taggie asked, keeping her voice unnaturally calm.

The captain looked at her with the pain of someone carrying news of a bereavement. ‘Wynate. They were going to take Mirlyn’s Gate to the isle of Wynate.’

Which meant absolutely nothing to Taggie. She wanted to cry out in annoyance.

‘Oh no,’ Sophie groaned in dismay.

‘What is Wynate?’ Jemima shouted for all of them.

‘An isle sunwards from here,’ Captain Rebecca said despondently. ‘Its location is of little importance. Wynate is infamous as the foremost nest of the paxia. Their capital rock, if you will.’

‘The paxia?’ Taggie asked.

‘The foulest, most vicious, flesh-eating vermin of the skies,’ Captain Rebecca said.

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